In A Land Without Magic, Dead Men Do Not Come Back
by 7Seven7
Summary: " The ache in your chest is pleasant. It reminds you that your heart has been given back to you. That seems insignificant, though, when you reflect on how glorious not feeling anything would be right now." After the curse is broken, Graham wakes up, only to find that Emma has moved on. Emma/Graham, Emma/August. Please Review!


A/N: Hi guys, I hope you enjoy think, it's kinda sad and angsty and heartbreaking I tried to challenge myself by writing in second person, hope you like the POV. Roughly inspired by the youtube Gremma video "Make it Go Away- Emma & Graham". Dedicated to adventuresinstorybrooke on tumblr, I'm beta-ing a story for her and it's amazing and I can't wait for her to publish it when it's finished!:) Enjoy, please review!

The ache in your chest is pleasant. It reminds you that your heart has been given back to you. That seems insignificant, though, when you reflect on how glorious not feeling anything would be right now.

Earlier, when you awoke in the middle of a very familiar forest, you thought you were dead. This was the only place you had ever truly called home, so it seemed fitting that your afterlife would be spent in an endless, empty sea of vegetation. However, the gentle nudging of a wolf nose against your leg told you this forest was not empty. As you slowly arose from your lying position, you took in your surroundings- _really_ took them in. You heard the laughter of children playing off in the distance and you realized you were not the only one in the enchanted forest. Then, with the drone of a car motor in the distance, you realized this was definitely _not_ the enchanted forest. And then it all sinks in.

_You are alive._

You're still stuck in Storybrooke, but that doesn't seem to matter. Only one thing matters- the beautiful blonde that made you remember, right before you died in her arms. She was the only thing you were thinking of as you shot up, probably a bit too quickly for a man who was dead a few minutes ago. As you wiped the dirt off of the suit you were buried in, you realized you were laying six feet under until your wolf dug you out. It dawns on you then that you are a literal 'dead man walking', which tells you another thing: the savior has broken the curse. That's the only possible way you could be alive now.

It's nearing nightfall and you need to get to Emma as soon as possible. Without being narcissistic about it, you imagine that your death must have been a great tragedy to her. As Mary Margaret- or rather, Snow White would say, Emma was finally letting her walls done. She was finally trusting someone, letting you into her life.

Then you broke her trust. You left her.

You needed to tell her you're sorry. You need to tell her you're alive, you're safe, and you're never going to leave her, ever again. You need to tell her you love her.

Then you can pick things up right where they left off, this time taking nothing slow, as you now realize how quickly your life can end. You'll begin with a short courtship as you reconnect. Then a ring on her finger, a wedding the entire kingdom will attend, and finally a nursery, the product of your love sleeping soundly and safely within it. You imagine a girl, and though you know newborns don't have much hair, you picture hers being full and curly like Emma's.

You've never regretted letting Snow White live- it was honorable and brave. But now, as you nearly sprint to the small apartment mother and daughter share, you appreciate your decision more than ever. If you had taken her life, Emma Swan would not exist. And your newly beating heart just couldn't imagine an existence without Emma.

As you round the corner, just yards away from the apartment, you hear your wolf whimper in protest.

"I'll be back soon" you promise him. You just need to see Emma; to hold her, and assure her that everything will be okay.

You run to the front of the apartment, and your heart skips a beat when you see her. She's washing the dishes, facing the window. It's now completely dark outside, so she can't see you, but thanks to the light inside the house, you can see her perfectly. She's even more beautiful then you remember her being.

You're frozen in pure ecstasy as you watch her scrub off a dish. You're so happy she's safe- a small part of you thought a broken curse meant a dead Emma. You're ready to run in there and take her into your arms, but someone else beats you to it.

His hands wrap around her waist, and your fists tighten in anger. Who does he think he is, touching Emma, _your_ Emma like that? He gently kisses her cheek, and she turns her face toward him so their lips meet. She sets the dishes down and turns to greet him with a loving, passionate kiss.

You were so caught up in seeing Emma, you didn't even notice the motorcycle parked out front.

Henry walks in on the PG-13 moment, making a disgusted face, much like the one he made when he confronted you about kissing his mom. The love birds laugh at Henry's response and part. You're relieved to see him get off of her. You watch as this strange man walks over to Henry and tussles his hair. Henry smiles and sits with the man at the table. Emma walks over to them, taking a seat beside the man. She gives him and encouraging smile and squeezes his hand lovingly before the man turns to Henry and tells him something. Whatever it is, it's made Henry extremely happy. He jumps up from his seat and engulfs Emma and the man in a huge, warm hug. A stray tear falls down Emma's face- she's crying. Not the kind of crying she did as you died. She's not in pain, a pain you caused her. She's crying tears of joy.

Her hand quickly wipes away the tear, and it is then that you notice the diamond ring.

As you realize she is no longer 'your Emma', your heart aches.

The ache in your chest is pleasant. It reminds you that your heart has been given back to you. That seems insignificant, though, when you reflect on how glorious not feeling anything would be right now.

You wish you were, once again dead.

It pains you to know the diamond ring you wanted to give her would now be second place in her collection.

You're no lip reader, but you know what Henry's just said to her, his eyes wide with disbelief.

_Twins?_

You tell yourself you must have imagined that, but there's no way you're imagining Emma's swollen stomach. You're happy for her, really you are, but you can't help but think that those should be your babies growing inside her, not this loser's.

A realization hits you. He's not the loser, _you_ are. You lost Emma, you lost Henry, you lost the ring, the wedding, the baby. Now, you're losing your mind.

You thought she needed you. You were wrong- you needed her.

As much as it pains you to admit it, she's happy now. The orphan you knew months ago now has parents, a fiancé, and apparently _three_ kids.

The death of Sheriff Graham was a tragedy. It happened, it was mourned, it was forgotten. Appearing to her now would re-open those healed wounds. It would confuse her, tear her away from her family, ruin her. You could never do that to her. Love means wanting the other person to be happy. This man, he makes Emma happy. You know what you have to do. You have to let a tragedy be a tragedy, because in this world, Emma's world, dead men do not come back to life.

With one last look at the happy family, you turn away, praying that he'll treat her well. You and your wolf, without any words spoken, descend into the forest.

You fill the grave of beloved Storybrooke sheriff Graham Humbert with dirt, and hope no one notices it has been tampered with. Then you and your wolf disappear into the forest, away from society, away from the happy couple and the twins that should be yours and the house that you should be living in.

Sheriff Graham is dead, because this is a world where the dead stay dead.

The Huntsman and his wolf wander the forest together, their existences never to be known by the residents of Storybrooke.

Emma Swan and her fiancé and her son and her twins sleep soundly in their beds that night, thinking, like the rest of Storybrooke, that you are dead. If that keeps her life less complicated, you're happy to stay a dead man.

Please Review!


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